120 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Many Willows and Black Poplars lost large limbs ; but the Ash 

 — although many of them were loaded with samari, which one 

 would have thought would have afforded a much larger attach- 

 ment surface for the hoar-frost than the bare twigs of the Elms 

 and Oaks — almost universally escaped injury. The same is true 

 of the Scotch Fir. I have only observed two or three injured 

 Firs anywhere near Lynn. 



The Hoar Frost of January 1889. — A short time since 

 I sent to the Scientific Committee some specimens of Elm 

 twigs and branches broken by the rime of January 8, 1889,. 

 and with them a series of photographs of Elm, Birch, Willow, 

 and Oak trees taken by Mr. Herbert Tilson from various trees 

 near King's Lynn, showing the rime-injuries to them in situ. 

 So unusual a phenomenon naturally excited the interest of 

 the Committee, who through their secretary requested further 

 evidence to show that the injuries in question were really caused 

 by rime and not by the action of wind upon branches loaded with 

 snow. The most difficult fact to believe is that such large arms as 

 shown by the photographs were really broken off by this cause. 

 Of course the amount of rime was phenomenal. No one that I 

 have met, and I have inquired of most of my friends as well as of 

 others, ever saw such a one in this district. The influence of 

 snow is quite out of the question, because there was no snow 

 at all. It can readily be understood that snow, melted and 

 then frozen upon the branches, might, if a strong breeze had 

 arisen, have caused somewhat similar injuries. But from 

 Friday, the 6th, to Monday, the 9th, we had no wind — the weather 

 was as calm as it could be. Of more value, however, than these 

 dogmatic assertions is the subjoined evidence obtained from 

 actual observers. 



The large branch which broke off the Elm at Middleton Hall 

 fell down at about 5.20 on the evening of Saturday, January 7~ 

 Mr. Lewis Milles passed under the tree about 5 p.m., and he 

 informs me that it was perfectly still at the time ; there was no 

 wind whatever when the arm fell, and there had been no snow. 



On Sunday morning, January 8, Mr. Charles Bristow was 

 walking along the Castle Rising Road about 11 a.m. ; he both 

 heard and saw a bough break off a Birch-tree. The morning was 

 perfectly still, and there had been no snow during the night. 

 Photographs of Birch-trees from this place were sent to the 



